Name of the environmental zone: Environmental zone Deux-Sèvres/Niort ZPAd - France
Date of entry into effect of the zone: 07-04-2017
Type of environmental zone: Regional zone of air protection ZPAd, depending on weather conditions and activated after an early warning stage, if the pollutant values exceed, for example, > 50 µg/m³ for particulate matter and following the prefect’s decision.
Not allowed to drive (temporarily): Vehicles without a Crit’Air badge and vehicles with insufficient Crit’Air badge class, depending on the level and duration of the air pollution peak.
Not allowed to drive (permanently): Information currently unavailable
Fines: 68-375 €
Area/extension of the environmental zone: The ZPAd zone covers theoretically the entire Department of Deux-Sèvres. In case of pollution peak, a press release issued by the prefect will define the exact borders of the activated zone and announce the entry into force of the area. The A10 and A83 highways within the Department may be affected.
Special features: Depending on the type, duration and level of air pollution, the borders of one or several zones within the department change. The prefect can decide to ban several Crit’Air badge classes from traffic.
Contact of the environmental zone and exceptions: Information currently unavailable
Exemptions: Information currently unavailable
Environmental zone ZPAd
Do I need stickers or registrations?
If there is a peak in air pollution and the ZPAd zone is activated, each affected vehicle requires a valid French environmental sticker (Certificat qualité de l'Air) to enter the low emission zone. Otherwise, a fine of between 68 euros and 375 euros is to be expected.
You can find out whether a ZPAd zone is active and which vignette is affected by the driving ban in our Green-Zones App.
What is a ZPAd zone?
ZPAd ("zone de protection de l'air départementale") are air protection zones that apply to an entire department. It is not possible to define in advance in which local areas within the ZPAd traffic restrictions will occur due to a peak in air pollution. In the event of a peak in air pollution, the respective initial decree provides for specific traffic restrictions, so that only then is the area within the department determined in a specific police decree, in which specific measures are then taken. In theory, even an entire department could be affected by a concrete measure, but this is relatively unlikely.
In any case, the prefect of the department is responsible for imposing driving bans where necessary (e.g. in one or more communes, on a motorway or within the entire department), based on data supplied to him by the regional air protection institute. The Certificat qualité de l'Air Vignette, which must be excluded from traffic, is also decided in these cases.
How do I recognize the low emission zone?
ZPAd zones are only activated temporarily. The size and dimensions of the zone are completely individual. This is determined by the respective prefect, depending on the intensity of air pollution. Therefore there are no special signs for ZPAd zones.
The situation is different for the ZFE zones. There, the beginning and the end of the environmental zones are marked with signs. This shows a red circle as prohibition sign with the remark "Zones à Circulation Restreinte" (Restricted Zone). Who exactly is allowed to enter or not is not indicated by the entry sign.
In our Green Zones App we have a detailed map of each low emission zone. So you can easily see the boundaries and avoid penalties.
Are there other low emission zones in France?
Yes, a lot of them. France has over 30 different environmental zones. These differ in ZFE (permanent), ZPA (temporary) and ZPAd (temporary département) zones.
In our Green Zones App we have gathered together all the low emission zones in Europe and presented them clearly.
Good to know...
All current driving bans and further information are available in our Green-Zones App.
Environmental zones as lifesavers
About 400,000 people in Europe die every year as a result of air pollution. Environmental zones are already helping to make the air cleaner. But the limits set by the World Health Organisation are still far from being met.
Air pollution remains high
Air pollutants have decreased less than initially estimated due to the Corona pandemic. Favourable weather conditions also played a role. This year, therefore, an increase is very likely and could spur driving bans again.
Corona supports diesel driving bans
The pandemic is also hitting the automotive industry hard. Filter systems for old diesel vehicles could not be installed last year as planned. So the dirty diesel vehicles continue to contribute to bad air and make diesel driving bans inevitable.
Paris relies on video surveillance
Controls in the Paris Low Emission Zone are to be automated this year. Drivers who enter the Paris metropolitan area with an unauthorised sticker can then be identified and penalised by camera systems.
Saudi Arabia plans 170 km long environmental zone
A green city of millions is to be built on the Red Sea, where there are no conventional roads and cars are completely banned. The project is controversial, but it could be a blueprint for the mobility revolution in large cities in Europe as well.
Hypocritical capital: Berlin relies on dirty diesel buses
The city is getting 291 new buses. All of them run on diesel engines. This contradicts the promise of the Green Senator for the Environment to ban all internal combustion vehicles from the city by 2030.
Cleaner air through driving
A new technology could soon use cars as mobile air filters. These would clean the city air while driving and could thus prevent impending diesel driving bans.
Eco-lanes en masse
The French bus and taxi lanes are to be opened to all electric motorbikes in future. The aim is to encourage more people to buy electric vehicles.
The end of plug-in hybrids is approaching
High subsidies for plug-in hybrids will soon only be available for vehicles that can drive at least 60 km in pure electric mode. This could mean an end to the hype surrounding these vehicles in Germany.
Stuttgart: Diesel driving bans on the brink of extinction?
Last year, nitrogen oxide levels in the Neckar valley remained below the limit value for the first time. The plaintiffs, who have been campaigning for better air for years, see this as only a partial success, however. The readings could, however, have an impact on driving bans in the city.